Cincinnati Football 2024 Game-By-Game Predictions Part Two

Will Cincinnati go bowling this year?

UC Bearcats hold a scrimmage at Nippert Stadium on Friday August 16, 2024. CB Jordan Young on the field. / Phil Didion/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

CINCINNATI — The Bearcats football team earned a 4-2 record in Part One of my 2024 predictions last week as the schedule toughens up in the back stretch of the season.

Here are the rest of our win projections as Cincinnati gets ready to kick things off this weekend against Towson.

V. Arizona State - 35-20 Bearcats

Cincinnati defends home turf and breaks its two-game losing streak by dispatching ASU in a wire-to-wire win. The offensive line controls this one to the tune of 250-plus rushing yards and no sacks allowed.

The Bearcats get a couple of impactful special teams returns against a rough unit on the other side to keep this gap relatively wide.

@ Colorado - 39-38 Buffaloes

It's one of the toughest games to project this season. Cincinnati runs into just enough healthy talent remaining from the Buffs to lose a classic at Folsom Field.

These teams are basically dead even anyway you slice it (UC 62nd in SP+, Colorado 60th in SP+), with home field being the difference. Colorado QB Shadeur Sanders leads a late game-winning drive to stamp a great back-and-forth battle between two offenses in a flow.

V. West Virginia - 31-21 Mountaineers

Neal Brown's team will be too balanced this season to get revenge for last year's loss. One of a few top-35 teams Cincinnati has on the schedule, the defensive front stymies Cincinnati into some rough turnovers that make things easier on what should be a highly efficient offense.

The Bearcats' run defense will likely be better this season, but those reinforcements aren't enough to keep this top-10 unit on the other side from owning the day at Nippert. West Virginia QB Garrett Greene plays clean to complement the ground dominance.

@ Iowa State - 24-17 Cyclones

ISU returns over 10 of its most valuable players from last season and they will contend for the Big 12 title until the end. That gelled, veteran defense is too much for Cincinnati to figure out on the road.

On the flip side, young QB Rocco Becht will be hitting his stride at this point just like he did last year down the stretch (88.9 PFF passing grade from Week 10 onward (sixth best in FBS)) and make just enough big-time throws to etch multiple passing scores for the win.

@ Kansas State - 35-30 Wildcats

Arguably the best team Cincinnati will face all season results in a fourth-consecutive loss on the calendar as KSU etches closer to the Big 12 title here. I don't see how most teams, let alone Cincinnati's projected run defense will be able to handle this offense led by QB Avery Johnson.

He runs all over the field for 100-plus yards to go with another 200 yards passing and it's enough to hold off a great day from Cincinnati's running attack on the other side. KSU's defensive front seven is vulnerable, but they toughen up just enough to pull out a one-possession win.

V. TCU - 27-20 Bearcats

The losing streak ends here and seals up a bowl appearance for Cincinnati in their final 2024 appearance at Nippert Stadium. This culture gets tested across the four-game skid, but the program shows how much they've grown from last season's disastrous finish by posting arguably its best defensive performance of the season.

Cincinnati's defensive front goes crazy with four-plus sacks and the secondary picks off a pair of passes to nullify a great TCU receiving corps and end the regular season on a high for faithful Bearcats fans.

Final Record: 6-6 Overall 

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